Pablo (PFC) is dying

[Pajarita]

He's still here. As unstable and fragile as ever but still going... On a real happy note, his girlfriend, Codee GCC, finally molted all her stress bars out of her plumage! It took 2.5 years to achieve this but we did it! YAAAYYYY!

[liz]

Do you have a plan for when Pablo leaves Codee? Or do you just intend to keep her close to you while she mourns? I am sure she realizes that he is not up to par but she will still be traumatized. It helps if she sees the body. Then she can mourn. Otherwise she will think he just left her and never get over it.

[Pajarita]

Yes, I have a couple who are excellent, excellent bird keepers that will take her. I rehomed a male GCC to them (Leo) and he is doing fabulously with them (I've known them for years because they started with one of my Timbrados and seeing how good they were with him, I talked them into taking a parrot which worked out GREAT!) so, when Pablo dies, she will go to live with Leo. I wouldn't keep a single GCC.

[liz]

Wouldn't that be too much for her to loose her mate then loose her home?

I was thinking like putting her cage near a bird that she all ready likes for moral support.

[Pajarita]

She doesn't live in a cage, she is free in the mudroom where I keep the canaries and finches and I will not have any other little bird for her to bond with...

[Pajarita]

I tell you, there was a VERY good reason why breeders preferred wild-caught and it's that these birds are practically indestructible! Believe it or not, he is back to his normal self! Not that his 'normal self' is normal, mind you, he is still as handicapped as he ever was but he is back to the way he used to be before the episode. Unbelievable!

[liz]

Yay for Pablo and yay for you.

[Wolf]

New meaning for the phrase " Tough old bird" ? Actually given his problems I have mixed feeling about his continuing to survive, but as long as he is not too uncomfortable then I am all for it and happy for him.

[Pajarita]

I feel the same way, Wolf. But as long as the animal doesn't have a terminal disease, is not in pain or acute discomfort, continues eating, drinking, pooping, peeing (as in dogs and cats), is alert and responding to stimulus, I don't put them down - and little Pablo is! He's in no pain or discomfort, eats and drinks well, preens Codee and Codee preens him, they sleep as if glued to each other, etc. He even screams for his dinner when the sun starts to go down

I can assure you that, at this point in time, I wish I had a more practical nature when it comes to this type of decisions because Mikey, my ancient VERY large dog (going on 18 out of an average lifespan for his size of 8 to 10), hasn't been able to walk and has been incontinent for about 18 months which means I have to change (and wash!) his bedding three times a day and bathe him (with a bowl of hot water, shampoo and even conditioner) twice a day and I am already in 'caregiver burnout' doing this for so many months! People tell me to put him down but his liver, kidneys and heart are healthy, he is in no pain (he takes pain killers) and quite comfortable (he has an orthopedic mattress in the kitchen and I massage him every day to avoid bedsores -the dog doesn't even have a bare spot anywhere on his body much less a sore!), eating and drinking well (breakfast, dinner and treats) and he is as mentally sharp as he has ever been (snaps at the golden retriever if he tries to steal his treats and even barks when people come in -as if he could do anything about an intruder when he can hardly sit up for longer than a couple of minutes!) so I can't bring myself to euthanize him just because he is so much work for me... It wouldn't be fair.

[liz]

I use the quality of life method. My old dog Bruce was pushing 19. He was deaf and almost blind but had a good apatite and even came quietly into the kitchen with me to see I he could get a hand out without the others joining in. The others knew his problems and took care of him. He only played with the Chihua girls but played often. I don't know if he was ever in pain when he started having trouble walking he would lay there and cry until he got attention by touching him.
His quality of life was bad so I let him go. I really miss him but I know I did the right thing.